5 Steps You Should Take Immediately If You Have Been Laid Off

1. Take Time to Regroup
Change is never easy, especially when it is forced upon you. When you find yourself in the midst of a life-changing occurrence, you are bound to feel a wide range of emotions. It is important that you never make a major decision while in an emotional state. Instead, take time to assess what has happened, regroup, and decide where you want to go from here.
2. Update Your Resume
Once you have calmed down and found time to breathe, assess where you want to go. Believe it or not, getting laid off can provide a good opportunity for a career change.
First, decide whether you want to pursue the same type of career or change directions. Then, update your resume and make sure you can easily tailor it to the positions you’ve decided to apply for.
3. Assess Your Financial Situation
tableThis is one step that should absolutely not go overlooked. It will be easier to alleviate your stress once you know where your finances stand. Your financial state will drive your job search and determine whether you should begin working part-time while you continue to search for your next career move or you have time to spend on going after a dream job that might take longer to land.
4. Leverage Your Network
It is important to note that getting laid off is not the time to begin networking; your network is vital to your career growth and should be nurtured even when you are employed. With that being said, now is the time to leverage that network you’ve spent time curating. Over time, you have created contacts within your industry. If you have put in the time to grow those relationships, you can now reap the benefits.
5. Set a Date
As you begin your job search, you should set a timeframe. Pick a date, and if your search hasn’t yielded results by that date, you’ll know it’s time to change tactics.